Blessings...giveaway winner...and other randomness...Oh My!

It's friday again....so it's time for me to do my blessings for the week. This week I started posting here on Bumps In The Road my True to Life "journal"....It's just a little way for me to vent my frustrations and I really appreciate all the feedback that I've gotten so far from just the first post alone. On Sunday morning part 2 is scheduled to make it's appearance.

I had a pretty ok week at work this past rotation...It was the ETL that everyone likes weekend to work so things always run pretty smoothly. Nothing all that exciting really happened....just had my nose to the grindstone to get my work done and get the heck out of there. This weekend....well it probably won't be as smooth as this past weekend was....the other ETL gives off the vibe that she just doesn't care enough.

My days off were pretty uneventful....In my world that's a pretty ok thing. Tuesday I got my temporary crown put on....Right now I'm hoping that I have no sensitivity issues or I may need to have a root canal done....Got my fingers crossed on that one. Tuesday afternoon....Took the dog to the vet.....She's officially on a diet. Our vet says she could stand to lose at least 4 pounds....She's not likeing dieting at all though.

Wednesday....I started knitting a baby afghan for a co-worker who is having a baby in November. I also taught myself to crochet! Wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be that's for sure. My mom told me that she's getting a brand new Nikon D60 digital camera....We're hoping that it'll come this weekend.

Thursday....I did some cooking and posted one of the recipes that I did on my cooking blog over on wordpress. Then I did a whole bunch of nothing. Nothing is a GREAT thing in my book.

Here's a pretty cool webpage that was featured on SITS today....Great Girl Trips. If your planning a trip with your girlfriends check this webpage out....It's got some pretty awesome ideas and great tips too.

Tomorrow I have another AWESOME guest blogger. Juls from Every Day Is A Crazee Day. I can hardly wait to see what Juls has to say....I was a guest blogger over on her blog not all that long ago and I had a great time...even though my post was kind of a downer.

Now for the winner of my first ever blog giveaway.....After tabulating all the enteries for everyone who participated in my giveaway.....Our winner is Tamara B. Congrats to the winner! I'll be in contact with you shortly.

Coming up in the next week or so....My first ever Follower exclusive giveaway. I haven't decided what I'm going to giveaway yet but I'll definately be sure to post about it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jamie

My FIRST EVER blog giveaway!

I've been saying it what seems like FOREVER and now I've finally gone ahead and done it. I'm FINALLY having my FIRST EVER blog giveaway! I'm psyched.....How about you?! So let's check out the loot shall we!? From the above photo of all the goodies I'll be giving away, minus one, because it hasn't been made yet, we have the following:

1. A fashion scarf

2. A bandana

3. A packet of Sweet Pea seeds

4. One of Two Twilight keychains

5. Colgate Wisp in Cinnamint

6. Two different shades of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish (Purple Potion and Ice Coffee)

7. Cover Girl Eyeshadow trio in one of two trio's (Sea Glass or Cafe' au lait)

8. Nivea's Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care

9. Vaseline Total Moisture Conditioning Lotion

10. Sam Brocato Peppermint Scrub Purifying Shampoo (use once or twice a week only)

11. Sam Brocato Peppermint Scrub Restorative Hair & Scalp Masque

12. A copy of Radio
13. A copy of The American President
14. A copy of Twilight
15. A folder full of my favorite recipes
16. A Handmade Cloudberry Creations Apron (which hasn't actually been made yet so there isn't a photo, sorry)

Now here are the details on how you can win all these goodies:

1. For 1 entry, blog about this giveaway on your blog. Please leave a comment or a link here to let me know so that I can visit you back.

2. For another entry, follow my blog/join my Country Club. Leave me a comment here letting me know that you've joined the Country Club please, if you already follow me please leave me a comment letting me know. If at the end of the giveaway you want to unfollow me that's ok...I can't stop you, but if you decided to stay a member of the Country Club that would TOTALLY ROCK MY SOCKS OFF! I

3. For a 3rd entry, follow me on Twitter....Please leave me a comment here letting me know that you are following me please.Again if at the end of the giveaway you want to unfollow me that's ok....But if you decide to stay again it would TOTALLY ROCK MY SOCKS OFF!

4. For addition entries, each additional comment on my blog (ANY POST) counts toward your entries.

The giveaway begins as soon as I post this post and will go until THURSDAY APRIL 23 at 11:59 pm. Package will be mailed on MONDAY APRIL 27th. Happy commenting!

Jamie

26 Years and other randomness

'Tis be Friday again! For most people Friday is the end of their work week....For me it's just the beginning. I'm hoping that this week is a little bit better at work than the last two weeks have been. It's been a little bit rough for me....We're waxing the floors at work and the smell from the wax and floor stripper gives me migraines. Toss in being treated poorly by a supervisor and a fellow team member two times in two weeks and you have me being pretty miserable. This two shall pass and I can hardly WAIT!

Yesterday was my parents 26th wedding anniversary. It was a pretty nice day too. Weather was decent....minus the wind. But we were still in the low 50's which is better than the last couple of days around here, where it's been pretty dreary.

I joined another Favorite Things Swap....Seriously, these bloggy swaps are a TON of fun. Now that I've done one I have a little bit better idea of what to expect. Flying by the seat of your pants isn't always the most fun. If you want to participate, please click on the words "Favorite Things Swap" to go to the post with all the instructions in it.

I'm still waiting on Spring to actually show up and stick around. I'm pretty tired of this one or two days here and there. That sucks pond sludge.

Yesterday, I posted the "100 Movies You Must See Before You Die" according to Yahoo. I'm in the process of coming up with my OWN list of movies that I think you should see before you die. You might be pretty surprised to see how ecclectic my taste in movies really is.

I've been doing some "studying" on some of my money saving blogs that I've added to my blogroll recently and will of course continue to study until I find/figure out a system that works for me to help me save money on my everyday needs in this rather "shaky" economy. Of course I'll be sure to share with all of you so that you can test these idea's out for yourself if you'd like.

I'm coming up on my FIRST ever blog giveaway. I can hardly wait!

Ms. Laci went to the groomer yesterday to get her Spring 'do done. Is it sad that my dog has her own stylist? She said that Laci was a good girl until she tried to trim around her face...then not so much. I thought that Laci would give her grief when it came time to brush her teeth but according to the groomer she actually enjoyed having her teeth brushed.

Well there it is....My week in a nutshell....Complete with a few blessings thrown in too. Have a great weekend for me!

Jamie

Barbie Turns 50!

One of my follower friends, Zen Cupcake, is having a giveaway to honor Barbie's 50th birthday. Ms. Cupcake is giving away some pretty AWESOME things too. Here's a little rundown of what's being given away:

1. 4 Stila makeup kits from Sephora(value $40 each)

"In this collection, created to celebrate Barbie's 50th birthday, each paint can features the look of an iconic Barbie doll from the past five decades. Inside each can is everything you need to get that beautiful Barbie doll's signature look. The Barbie Loves Stila paint can also includes a "Barbie Look Book" that includes a history of each top-selling Barbie doll over the last five decades."

2. 1 Juicy Couture Cupcake Eau de Parfum from Sephora. (Value $50.00)

3. Two (2) $25.00 gift baskets worth of Sephora's Vanilla Cupcake bath and body products.

4. Barbie cupcake candles, cupcake wrappers and cupcake toppers.

5. Random prizes like Cupcake Mints, Cupcake Bandages, Cupcake Dental Floss and Cupcake Key Covers too!

NOTE: My blessings for the week will be posted tomorrow...I don't usually post on the weekends (or I'm going to try to only post during the week) but I'm making an exception just this once.

Learning some new habits...

I am in the ongoing process of trying to teach myself to be better with my money....I've been pretty wishy washy in this department for a while now and with our economy the way it is right now I really think it's time to make it more of a priority. I've been reading a few new blogs on the "frugal" lifestyle and from what I've been reading I can totally do this.....I just need to be a little more aware of my spending habits. If anyone has and tips/"tricks" please feel free to share...I'm game for trying "new" things.

Keep checking back....I plan on sharing my finds/"tricks" with my bloggy pals.

On a different note.....Upon further review of my finance's, my bloggy giveaway has to be put on hold for a little while. There will be a giveaway, just need a little more "give" in my budget than what I have right now.

Less than 2 weeks!

We're less than 2 weeks away from my first ever blog giveaway! I can hardly wait! I've seen them done all over bloggy land but I've never done one myself. So it'll be a learning experience for me.

Now I'm going to ask for some advice from all my bloggy friends. I've been having a boat load of problems at work. One of our ETL's (Executive Team Lead, AKA My boss) has been causing a lot of problems. Basically, if your some one who has an opinion and you voice it and it's not something she wants to hear/like she retaliates against you (we have a no retaliation policy). Those of us how have suffered because of this have had our hours drastically cut (I'm working only 2 days this next schedule) or have had other things come up as well. Basically, I'm considering transfering to another store, I don't want to leave the company all together because I have a lot of time put into it. There is a new store opening up soon in our area that I've seriously considered transfering too, so here are some pro's and con's and you tell me what you think I should do.

Pro's:

1. It's a new store with a Brand New team who have more than likely never done stocking before (I'm sure that there are some who have but I'll bet the majority haven't) and I have almost 3 years experience.
2. It'll be during the day (4 am unload) so I'll actually get to see the sun again...I haven't seen much sun in almost 3 years.
3. I more than likely will get the hours I need to actually be able to pay my bills and have a little money left over.
4. I might actually get to go to family functions again (I've been to 3 events in the last 3 years that I've worked overnights).

Con's:

1. It'll be further for me to drive to work.
2. I'll be the low man on the totem pole again.
3. I may have to give up my 4 day work week (I work 4 10 hour shifts right now).
4. I'd have to learn a new store's routine.
5. What if there aren't any stores who want me?

What would you do if you were me?

Blessings, bloggy business and randomness oh my!

Ok, this post is going to be one long post of blessings, random acts of kindness, bloggy business and whatever else I think of as I'm writing this. So lets begin....Blessing wise, it hasn't been that great of a week for me. It's inventory week at work (actually it's going down as I'm typing this) and everyone has been a bit snippy the last couple days. Needless to say I was super happy when Monday night came around....I don't work on Tuesday's, Wednesday's or Thursday's. Less stress for me. I got the test results back from my biopsy last week....BENIGN CYST! Nothing to worry about anymore! Tomorrow is my 25th birthday....That and I have the night off!

Bloggy business....On the bottom of my blog (I couldn't get it to fit in the sidebar or on the top of the page) is a ticker to let everyone know how many days until my first blog giveaway. It actually is in conjunction with SITS Spring Fling but anyone can win. Also, on the bloggy front....I will once again be trimming down my link list, so if you would like to remain or be added to my list either drop me an e-mail at jamiehanna84@gmail.com or leave me a comment please.

In April, cause that's when my next doctor's appointment is, I will hopefully be on the road to weight loss. I've been trying and have tried numerous times to shed some unwanted weight and I've crashed and burned everytime. Hopefully, with the help of my doctor I will be successful this time.

Oh, pictures of Ms. Laci's bath coming probably tomorrow night....I'll have a little more time and I won't have any contention for the computer.

On to random acts of kindness....I found this on Yahoo and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did....It's good to know that there is still some good out there in the world amidst all the bad stuff going on.

Amid the grieving, a rare act of sportsmanship

The coach never considered any other option.

It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.

Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.

Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.

The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.

Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.

The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.

Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.

Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.

He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.

They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."

Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.

Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.

"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."
Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.

It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."
None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.

Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

ANOTHER giveaway!

While I was visiting John Deere Mom's blog I found another bloggy giveaway. This one I found on The Russo Corner's blog. Please check this blog out I would post what is all being given away (the blog authors favorite beauty products) in this giveaway but there is literally toooo much to name. All of which would find a nice home at my house by the way. To view the giveaway please click on the image below:

John Deere Mom's Anniversary Giveaway!

While I was out and about visiting my fellow SITS members this morning, I found a new blog that I really like A LOT......John Deere Mom. Well John Deere Mom is doing a giveaway for her blog anniversary. Let's tak a look see at what is all being given away shall we (I borrowed the photo's from John Deere Mom's blog)?

Let's take a look inside!

Here is a list of the goodies inside:

1. Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen and Mercy by Jodi Picoult

2. The movie Madagascar

3. The John Deere tote

4. A $2 bill for luck

5. Tide Stick to go

6. A bag of Lindt Chocolate

7. A pocket hand sanitizer in Midnight Pomegranate

8. A bottle of Dancing Waters lotion

9. A bottle of Moonlight Path body lotion

10. and a $10 Starbucks gift card!

So I've moved again.....

I know I said I wasn't going to do it again but I became seriously selfconcious about people thinking that I am actually a bitter person when I'm not really....that is was just a nickname....that I fully intend to keep by the way. I had been contemplating forgiving blogger for a little while....it was getting to be a serious pain in the butt for me comment on the blogs that I visit regularly and it was frustrating the hell out of me. So I've officially forgiven Blogger and here I am.

Now on to the sad part....Yesterday afternoon we put a member of our family to sleep. It was time....she was 19 and her quality of life was deteriating at a pretty fast rate. She lived a long happy life and she will be missed greatly. We (including our other dog Laci) are pretty upset and Laci has been looking all over the place for her....which makes me super sad, cause Laci has never been the only dog....she's always had a companion with her and now it's just her. I even said that I was going to be taking an extended blogging vacation but I'm to "addicted" and I can help myself.

On my old wordpress blog I was going to be doing a giveaway using pretty much all of my posts but because I've just started this blog I'll have to come up with a new giveaway. I hope you'll join in and play along when I get it all figured out again.

Jamie/BITRCountryGirl